Psilocybe cubensis, Risks

Before consumption of psilocybin cubensis or other halluzinognen mushrooms for the first time, one should read the so-called „safer use“ rules to make your trip as pleasent as possible and will not end in a ‚bad trip‘. It is important to choose the right ’set‘ and ’setting‘. Set means the mental state (whether one is in a good mood, or rather bad), the expectation or general psychological problems. If you, for example, are down before you take mushrooms this will probably not change after consumption so that the risk of a bad trip is very large. The setting is of equal importance; setting refers to the environment, the external stimuli and, persons who are around or joining you on your trip. You should read the following to ensure that the trip will be as pleasant as possible:

Dosage

If you are unsure about the dose you should take, you should start with a rather low dose and slowly increase the amount at the next session. For example, if you donot know the exact psilocybin content of your mushroom you should NOT take more than then 1 g dried or 5-10 g of fresh mushroom. At worst, then you have a dose of 20 mg of psilocybin taken. In addition, if you do not notice anything after consuming the mushroom, do not directly take more mushrooms but wait because it is quite common that there is a delay of the effect up to 1.5 hours. This occurs for example when you have a full stomach.

Set and Setting

As already described, it is important to be in a positive mood before tripping (right set). It is also very important to choose the right setting, because when it is the first mushroom experience, strong external stimuli are perceived as very unpleasant. So a party is not the right place to take mushrooms for the first time. Pick a quiet place where you are undisturbed. It is also important that not too many people are around (you should be alone or with a very close person).

Have a ‚Trip Sitter‘

Especially at the beginning it is very important to have a trip sitter, so a person takes care of you during your trip. This person should already have sufficient experience with mushroom so that he can puthimself into your shoes and help you if you feel unwell. It is also important that this person is sober and can properly assess the situation. His general tasks will be:

a) To kindly ask you not to jump off the roof of your house

b) To communicate with other (non-intoxicated) people if you prefer to run in a circle nakedly